On January 31st, the United Kingdom is leaving the European Union and that is why our colleagues; Amparo del Río, Head of International Trademark Prosecution at PONS IP and Simon Bentley, Collaborative Attorney at PONS IP, have been interviewed by Empresa Exterior.

In this interview, our colleagues analyze what is going to happen to the trademarks, patents and intellectual designs that have been registered by different Spanish companies doing business in the UK, and what companies in Spain should do to protect their trademarks in the UK from now on, highlighting comments such as:

Amparo del Río:

‘If the trademarks are already under protection by the end of the transition period (end of 2020) the rights will be respected; if they are pending, the rights holder must initiate an application to the UK (and pay a fee) for such protection within nine months of the end of the transition period (until September 2021)’.

Other interventions by the speakers on the effects of Brexit on protected geographical indications and denominations of origin:

Amparo del Río:

‘Protected denominations of origin, protected geographical indications and traditional specialties guaranteed will continue to be protected in the United Kingdom’.

Simon Bentley:

‘The key date is towards the end of 2020; in this transition period, practically nothing will change’.

About PGIs: ‘The United Kingdom plans to establish a new system of protection on a national level based on the European model’.

You can access the full interview and learn first-hand about the effects of Brexit on your intellectual property rights by clicking here.